He ate hard eggs, shell and all, devoured gigantic prawns with the heads and tails on, chewed tobacco and water-cresses at the same time and with extraordinary greediness, drank boiling tea without winking, bit his fork and spoon till they bent again, and in short performed so many horrifying and uncommon acts that the women were nearly frightened out of their wits, and began to doubt if he were really a human creature. – The Old Curiosity Shop
The Old Curiosity Shop Quotes
Conscience Is an Elastic and Very Flexible Article
In the majority of cases, conscience is an elastic and very flexible article. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
The night crept on apace,
The night crept on apace, the moon went down, the stars grew pale and dim, and morning, cold as they, slowly approached. Then, from behind a distant hill, the noble sun rose up, driving the mists in phantom shapes before it, and clearing the earth of their ghostly forms till darkness came again. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
There are chords in the
There are chords in the human heart–strange, varying strings–which are only struck by accident; which will remain mute and senseless to appeals the most passionate and earnest, and respond at last to the slightest casual touch. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
If ever household affections and
If ever household affections and loves are graceful things, they are graceful in the poor. The ties that bind the wealthy and the proud to home may be forged on earth, but those which link the poor man to his humble hearth are of the truer metal and bear the stamp of Heaven. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
“Have I yet to learn
“Have I yet to learn that the hardest and best-borne trials are those which are never chronicled in any earthly record, and are suffered every day!” ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
The air came laden with
The air came laden with the fragrance it caught upon its way, and the bees, upborne upon its scented breath, hummed forth their drowsy satisfaction as they floated by. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
In the Destroyer’s Steps
In the Destroyer’s steps there spring up bright creations that defy his power, and his dark path becomes a way of light to Heaven. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
The haggard aspect of the
The haggard aspect of the little old man was wonderfully suited to the place; he might have groped among old churches and tombs and deserted houses and gathered all the spoils with his own hands. There was nothing in the whole collection but was in keeping with himself nothing that looked older or more worn than he. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop
Thus violent deeds live after
Thus violent deeds live after men upon the earth, and traces of war and bloodshed will survive in mournful shapes long after those who worked the desolation are but atoms of earth themselves. ~ The Old Curiosity Shop